1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cassette insertion/ejection apparatus and more particularly to a cassette insertion/ejection apparatus for positioning a cassette at a proper operation position and ejecting the cassette from the proper operation position, the apparatus using the cassette in the form of a housing comprising a top face, a bottom face, a front side face, a rear side face, a left-hand side face and a right-hand side face, in which a pair of hubs are rotatably supported between the top and bottom faces and a roll of tape wound about one of the hubs is extended near the openings capable of receiving magnetic heads in the front side face and wound about the other hub, and in which a pair of cassette locating holes are cut between the top and bottom faces, wherein the apparatus comprising:
A FIXED MEMBER SUPPORTING A PAIR OF TURNTABLES AND CASSETTE LOCATING PINS FOR ROTATABLY SUPPORTING THE PAIR OF HUBS;
A MAGNETIC HEAD MEANS DISPOSED ON THE FRONT SIDE OF THE CASSETTE, THE MAGNETIC HEAD MEANS BEING AWAY FROM THE CASSETTE AND OPPOSITE TO THE OPENINGS WHEN THE CASSETTE IS DISPOSED AT THE PROPER OPERATIONAL POSITION;
A GROUP OF MANIPULATION LEVERS COMPRISING AN EJECT LEVER AND DISPOSED ON THE REAR SIDE;
A CASSETTE TRAY MEANS HAVING TWO HOLES FOR PENETRATING THE SHAFTS OF TWO TURNTABLES AND MOUNTED ON A BASE MEMBER SO AS TO SWING UP THE MAGNETIC HEAD SIDE THEREOF BY A CERTAIN ANGLE ABOUT AN AXIS NEAR THE GROUP OF MANIPULATION LEVERS, AT THE SWUNG UP POSITION THE CASSETTE TRAY BEING POSITIONED ABOVE THE TOP OF THE SHAFTS OF TURNTABLES TO THEREBY SITUATE THE CASSETTE CARRIED ON THE CASSETTE TRAY ON THE SLOPE HIGHER AT THE MAGNETIC HEADS SIDE THAN THE GROUP OF MANIPULATION SIDE, AT THE NON-SWUNG UP POSITION, I.E. THE PROPER OPERATION POSITION, THE SHAFTS OF TURNTABLES PENETRATING THROUGH THE HOLES AND PROJECTING ABOVE THE CASSETTE TRAY TO BE RECEIVED IN THE HUBS OF THE CASSETTE, THE CASSETTE TRAY BEING TRANSFERRED FROM THE SWUNG UP POSITION TO THE PROPER OPERATION POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE INSERTION OF THE CASSETTE AND TRANSFERRED FROM THE PROPER OPERATION POSITION TO THE SWUNG UP POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF THE EJECT LEVER;
A STABILIZING MEANS FOR HOLDING THE CASSETTE TO THE FIXED MEMBER UNDER THE SITUATION OF RECEIVING THE CASSETTE LOCATING PINS MOUNTED ON THE FIXED MEMBER INTO THE CASSETTE LOCATING HOLES WHEN THE CASSETTE TRAY IS BROUGHT INTO THE PROPER OPERATION POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE INSERTION OF THE CASSETTE, THE STABILIZING MEANS RELEASING THE CASSETTE IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF THE EJECT LEVER; AND
A SLIDING DOWN MEANS FOR SLIDING DOWN THE CASSETTE FROM THE CASSETTE TRAY BY FLOATING THE CASSETTE FROM THE SLOPE OF THE CASSETTE TRAY WHEN THE CASSETTE TRAY IS BROUGHT INTO THE SWUNG UP POSITION IN RESPONSE TO THE ACTUATION OF THE EJECT LEVER.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
In a conventional cassette tape recorder having a cassette insert/eject apparatus using such a cassette as described above, the sliding plate on which the recording/reproducing head, a erasing head, a pinch roller etc. are mounted, is disposed just rear the manipulation buttons including an eject button and the cassette is set behind the sliding plate, with the front side face of the cassette facing the sliding plate. Therefore, in case of, for example, an upright type cassette deck, the distance between the cassette insert/eject opening and the proper operation position of the cassette is rather long. Accordingly, even after the ejection operation has been finished to lift up the cassette, one must insert his fingers into the cassette insert/eject opening so as to draw out the cassette. In another type of the conventional cassette insert/eject apparatus in which after the cassette has been lifted up it is brought near to the front panel by sliding the cassette down the sloping plane, the ribs attached near the cassette insert/eject opening to stop the cassette sliding down the sloping plane are in the form of stoppers. Accordingly, in this case, the cassette must be manually lifted up by fingers to release the cassette from the ribs when the cassette is taken out. The lifting of the cassette by fingers will cause a nuisance in the manipulation of the tape recorder.